Safety
Civil Air Patrol Safety Pledge
As a Civil Air Patrol member I pledge to promote an uncompromising safety environment for myself and others, and to prevent the loss of, or damage to Civil Air Patrol assets entrusted to me. I will perform all my activities in a professional and safe manner, and will hold my self accountable for my actions in all of our Missions for America.
General Aviation Safety
There are four areas accounting for the majority of general aviation accidents as determined by the FAA. Owner-performed maintenance is one. Most owners/operators rely on maintenance facility/mechanics to keep records but FAA regulations state it is the owner’s responsibility. Failure to comply leads to the following maintenance-related crashes: perfoming unauthorized maintenance; not following approved procedures; and performing and/or recording maintenance improperly. Owners/operators need to learn the FAA regulations. For example, if there is a question concerning maintenance responsibilities, consult FAR Sec. 91.403 or if there is misunderstanding regarding content and form of maintenance records, consult FAR Sec. 43.9 (a) (1)-(4).
Another area causing accidents is approach and landing. There are three causes of loss of control in this phase of flight: loss of directional control; failure to compensate for wind; and lack of experience with the aircraft. Accident avoidance happens when there is good pre-flight planning, attention to detail, solid flight directions, and respect for pilot/aircraft limitations.
The third area of concern is surface deviations. There are some 50 million takeoffs/landings each year. Runway incursions occur due to entering the runway environment without a clearance, taking off without a clearance, and landing without clearance. Runway incursion avoidance happens when the 15,000 air traffic controllers and the thousands of pilots and operators of runway vehicles all pay attention to directions and their surroundings.
The fourth cause of accidents is lack of risk management. The FAA and CAP-USAF AUX both encourage use of good flight planning and employment of ORM principles on the ground and in the air. Good flight planning and ORM assist in avoiding high fatality rate accidents involved with weather, maneuvering, and descent/approach.
Gregg Bollinger, 2nd Lt.
Sqdrn 304 Safety Officer
